An Assassin's Choice
by Kryscylla
Summary: AU 500 years ago Goku's hunger issues enraged a vengful goddess. When he was imprisioned she let the matter drop until she found out that he was once again free and happy. Now she has decided to send an assassin after him to exact her revenge. Please R
1. Chapter 1: Plan B

An Assassin's Choice

By Kryscylla

Disclaimer: Seiobo, Queen Mother of the West and Goddess of Immortality, patron goddess of_ all_ feline creatures is mine (mostly) but she's a bitch so you can have her. Saiyuki and all its characters belong to Kazuya Minekura and not me. I have no money so don't sue.

Rating: T

Pairings: none

Chapter 1: Plan "B"

..…Two weeks after Sanzo freed Goku from his stone prison.

Tenki - the land of the gods- was supposed to be the ideal place to live. Both the people and weather were always perfect and since those troublemakers had been dealt with 500 years ago, Tenki's peace was completely undisturbed. Everything was entirely predictable; nothing ever changed. That was just how Seiobo, Queen Mother of the West and Goddess of Immortality, patron goddess of_ all_ feline creatures liked it, predictable. Predictable conditions meant that no interference with her plans and schemes would arise. Also with no one to create unnecessary chaos she could enjoy the calm peace she had attained since her father, Tentei had released her from the perpetual feral feline state he'd put her in to make her appreciate the peace of Tenki. Well it worked and now she could not stand for chaos of any kind outside of playing with her multitude of cats (everything from house cats and bobcats to tigers and panthers), which wandered freely all throughout her house and grounds.

Even though her father had forgiven her for causing chaos up in heaven she had not forgiven him and had refused to move back into his palace and had built her own a goodly distance away from everyone else's. Also as if to try and show up her father she built it to be very grand and flashy. Her palace proper was made of solid jade and nine stories high and an extremely long wall of solid gold encompassed the whole of her territory.

On this particular day Seiobo and her former teacher –long time friend and co-conspirator Li Touten were in the field near her palace going over the latest news from the world below. Suddenly she stopped and whirled on him, her bright green eyes blazing dangerously.

"HE'S BEEN WHAT? HOW THE HELL COULD THEY ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN?"

"Now, now Seiobo calm down and speak quietly unless you want the whole of Tenki to know what we are talking about." Li Touten tried to calm his friend who had a violent temper and could be a little impulsive when upset. She had a tendency to go off and do something rash and that was dangerous for him which, especially now, was completely unacceptable. If it weren't for her brilliant mind, normally level head and ruthless attitude he'd have disposed of her a long time ago. She was too much like himself and that could be dangerous.

Seiobo took a deep breath to school her features and continued in a calm but still seething voice, "When did that _thing_ get out?"

"About two weeks ago and Tentei already decreed that he's to be left alone for now…"

"Why? He can't be trusted! He's a murdering bastard and should have been killed 500 years ago not to mention a ratty little thief!" the furious goddess hissed.

She'd caught him red-handed, once stealing one of her peaches and he didn't even need their benefits and on numerous occasions caught him stealing flowers from her garden. While she had not been witness to the murder thing personally if Tentei and the rest of high court decided it then it was fact.

"It's because of the fact that Konzen achieved enough enlightenment to hear the beast and as a result his current incarnation is being allowed to take charge of him for the time being. Also, other than Konzen's aunt, Kanzeon Bosatsu, no one is to be allowed to interfere in their lives now."

Li Touten, the current War God, studied the face and posture of his friend and waited for her reaction. He didn't have to wait long and surprisingly enough she seemed to calm down further and her mood even seemed to brighten.

"Well," she smiled sweetly. "If he wants to let a beast out then I say let him and any thing that happens as a result will be on his own head. Now if you will excuse me, I have some work to do. You understand do you not Li Dear?"

Li Touten always enjoyed a good show of forcing submission to further one's own ambition. He'd taught Seiobo well the ways of plotting scheming and knew full well whenever she dismissed herself by calling him "dear" she wanted to be alone to scheme something up, or put a scheme she had been working on into action. Li Touten bowed his farewell and left the goddess to work on whatever she had planned. Whatever it was it was sure to be entertaining.

Seiobo briefly watched him depart until she was satisfied that he was truly leaving. Then she turned to check her trees before retuning to her palace proper, as everything inside her walls was her palace in her mind. As she checked the precious trees she reflected on her options.

She wanted the little monster to suffer for all eternity. Plan A was to let Tentei deal with punishing the brat. He opted for sealing all his memories and locking him up in a stone cage for an indiscriminate amount of time. His favorite form of punishment seemed to be locking you up in some way or another till _he_ decided that you had learned your lesson Seiobo thought bitterly. In this case however, that was fine with her. To learn a lesson you had to know _what_ you did wrong first and that itan brat could spend all eternity locked in there and never figure out why he was there in the first place. Seiobo had so much fun in the winter as she watched as Goku cringed as far to the back of his cage as he could as he tried in vain to escape the snow that terrified him so.

But, now he was free and was with Konzen again which meant he wasn't suffering any more witch was entirely unacceptable. Well, plan B is much better. Assassins only had one drawback. You never knew if they would perform their task. No matter. If that chibi tora knows what's good for her she will perform her task, as she is now an itan herself. Ahh… controlling others is a beautiful thing.

o--o--o--o

-500 years ago-

It was a day like any other in Tenki –perfect. The sun was shinning and a cool breeze was blowing. A young woman walks through her peach tree orchard carefully examining each of her peaches. She has straight, shoulder length black hair, bright green eyes; smooth, flawless bronze skin, and a petite frame. She's wearing a white gown with purple trim. At regular intervals whenever she stopped to check a peach the breeze would pick up slightly tugging her hair away from her face to reveal high sharp cheekbones. Her name is Seiobo, Queen Mother of the West and Goddess of Immortality, patron goddess of_ all_ feline creatures.

The sudden movement of the branches from a tree in the row nearest the wall caught Seiobo's eye as she prepared to move to check the next tree. None of her animals ever climbed her peach trees for fear of the death that would result. So, that left one conclusion – someone had snuck into her orchard without her permission and was climbing her precious trees. This was completely unacceptable! Seiobo was more than a little confused and extremely annoyed. Everyone knew the penalty for entering her peach orchard and wisely avoided it as result. Apparently someone didn't know enough to stay out of _her_ orchard, but they'd learn soon enough and if there was even one bruise on that peach it'd be the last lesson they'd ever learn.

Suddenly, a child's delighted squeals rang out through the orchard. Seiobo followed the sound to its source, where she received her second shock of the morning. In one of the high bows of the tree a small boy she'd never seen before (about the same age as Nataku by the looks of him) sat eating the one peach the tree would produce for the next six thousand years. He had long wild brown hair and wore shackles on his neck, wrists, and ankles.

As Seiobo watched him she remembered something her teacher Li Touten had told her a couple weeks back. He'd said a creature resembling a small boy had been born from a rock on Mt. Kakasan and had been brought to Tenki. He'd been livid and had raged that such a vile itan creature should not even exist as no one had ordained its birth. It was because of this that Seiobo refused to see the thing. In fact if had been up to her it would have been destroyed at its birth. But the decision hadn't been hers to make. Instead it had been left up to that snob Kanzeon Bosatsu who was even softer than Tentei. She was asked to meet out punishment to the thing lock it up or something. And instead she gave it to her spoiled nephew to keep as a pet. And now here it was sitting in her orchard eating her peaches of immortality. The thing was supposed to be immortal already (and if it wasn't before it was now). Nothing could have pissed her off more.

Seiobo watched in shocked silence as the boy finished off the entire peach even licking the seed clean and then stared at it mournfully as if it had not been enough food. Then he shrugged and tossed the seed to the side (as if it was going to plant itself) and stretched out apparently to take a nap. Suddenly he bolted upright and looked down at her seeming to just notice her presence. The fear and uncertainty she saw on his face would have made her laugh with delight if she hadn't been so pissed.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Seiobo's rage had finally won out. "YOU DIRTY LITTLE THIEF! WHO DO THINK YOU ARE! THE NEXT ONE WON'T BE RIPE FOR ANOTHER 500 YEARS!

Seiobo noticed the creature's huge golden eyes widen with confusion and panic and its posture stiffen just before all but his head disappeared behind a branch while continuing to stare down at her. Fearing he'd bolt before she'd get a chance to hurt him, Seiobo willed her features to soften and stalked closer to the tree. To her delight, he swallowed hard but didn't move to run.

In a soft, almost kind voice asked, "Who are you? Do you have a name?"

"I-I'm Goku." came the barely audible response from the frightened boy as he buried his face into the tree branch as if trying to somehow gain comfort from the tree itself. W-who are you?"

At the sight, a cruel, mirthless smile flashed across Seiobo's face. The creature was scared of her. _Perfect._ This is going to be so much fun. To keep up appearances she replied in a deceptively sweet sounding voice, "Well, Goku, I am called Seiobo, Queen Mother of the West and Goddess of Immortality, patron goddess of_ all_ feline creatures. This is my orchard and that peach you just ate was mine as well. I was planning on serving it to a bunch of guests tonight."

Seiobo watched with barely contained joy and excitement as Goku peeked out from his hiding place fear and remorse plain on his face and in his voice as he said, "R-r-really? ''M r-really s-sorry. I was _r-really hungry_. I-I d-didn't know."

_This was too easy_. Letting her voice sound kind and sympathetic she said, "If that's true then you will not mind coming down and apologizing properly. I may forgive you this time but only come down right now."

"O-ok" Goku responded as he climbed down the tree with the kind speed and skill that only a monkey could have. As soon as both his feet hit the ground Goku cried out in pain as an unseen force yanked on his hair.

"I have you now!" Seiobo cried out in triumph as she grabbed the chibi saru by the hair with all the speed of a tiger and laughed cruelly. At this, he began to panic struggling frantically to get free. After several minutes he stopped struggling and stood there trembling in fear and crying begging her to forgive him and let him go.

Seiobo knew she was enjoying herself too much. Preying on this pathetic creature's fear _was_ way too easy for one who used to hunt wild game as a real tiger in a very savage lower world, but the power was so intoxicating.

Seiobo was about to say something to torment the chibi saru further when a tall man with black hair and eyes ran up to them seeming to be out of breath. Even if she hadn't seen his tasteless black outfit Seiobo knew that it was Kenren Taisho. Suddenly, Kenren stood up straight, examined the situation, before locking eyes with Seiobo as if he were her equal. Holding her gaze he spoke to her prisoner first. "Oy bakasaru! Haven't you learned yet? Stay out of places with walls if you don't live there unless you are _invited_ in."

"Ken-nii chan!" Goku cried as he once again struggled to get free of Seiobo's grasp – unsuccessfully before shooting Kenren a pleading helpless look. "Oww! _Please help me_?" he begged as large tears continued to flow from his eyes.

Kenren looked at the chibi saru's face, gave him a kind, understanding smile as if to say that he would take care of it. From there he let his gaze travel to Seiobo's left hand before he returned it to her face a fierce anger burning in his eyes. When he spoke though, he sounded polite and deferent. "Now by the look on Goku's face he knows what he did was wrong and is very sorry. Knowing him, he's probably said as much too. Am I right, Seiobo?"

Seiobo simply nodded stunned.

"Good. Goku I'm sure you've learned your lesson and are going stay out of walled places you're not invited into from now on right?"

Goku nodded.

Flashing his most charming smile at Seiobo Kenren said in an equally charming voice, "So, is there any way I can convince the lovely Lady of this fine estate to let this baka chibi saru go? His master sure would appreciate it …so would I."

At some point during that rogue's speech, Seiobo had released Goku's hair and he'd run and hid behind his "big brother". Knowing she was defeated, Seiobo decided to let the matter go for the time being. There was plenty of time to get her revenge later …on both of them.

"Just get that _thing _out of my orchard" Seiobo sneered.

Obviously Kenren thought she was being funny because he suddenly burst out laughing. When he could contain himself, he placed a protective hand on the saru's shoulder and smiled at him. "Now, if you're done snacking on shit, then lets get you back home. Konzen's really pissed off at you for runnin' off like that."

With that, the two left the orchard unaware that they had made a very dangerous enemy.

o--o--o--o

Safely inside the walls of her palace, Seiobo prepared to initiate "Plan-B". She'd guessed that someone was bound to find the golden eyed beast at some point so, 10 years ago, she secretly had gone to an alternate dimension to put into motion her plan to accomplish what that weakling Tentei was too soft to do- kill it.

A young black male panther nearly knocked her down as she entered her "work room" in an effort to properly great his Lady. Seiobo smiled as she gently eased the cat's paws to the ground.

"Not now, Shaddo" she said in a firm but gentle voice. If anyone ever saw her deal with her cats they would swear that Seiobo must have a twin sister, as she was as tender with them as she was cruel to everyone else. "Mommy has important work to do."

First, she had to go retrieve a certain young girl she'd been watching over the past nine years. Then, it was just a simple matter of making sure that she crossed paths with the creature and all would be right again. The plan was perfect. One itan kills another no one could possibly connect it to her. After all the things could hardly be considered civilized now can they?

o--o--o--o

(end of chapter 1)

(Hope you are enjoying the ride.)


	2. Chapter 2: Assassin Retrieved

Disclaimer: Kirriah Logan, her two tigers Sai and Kye, and mother Yukia Logan a.k.a. Wingblade belong to me so no using them without permission. Seiobo is mine too but she's a bitch so you can have her. Any Saiyuki or Marvel characters belong to their respective creators and not me. I have no money so don't sue.

_Special thanks goes out to Finem without your help and support none of this would be possible. You rule. Also to all whotake the time to read and review this story, you make writingthis woth it._

_"words telepathic"-- speech_

_words-- thoughts_

Chapter 2: Assassin Retrieved

Xavier Institute

Westchester, New York

Seiobo soundlessly popped into her destination – the corner of a large room (almost could even be considered huge) containing a very nice looking katana and looked around. Victorian windows revealed an elegant view of both the north and east sections of the well-kept grounds outside. It was so beautiful in fact, that if she didn't know any better Seiobo would almost swear that she was looking at a scene from Tenki itself. A large and comfortable bed ran parallel to the eastern window, which offered a peaceful and natural view to gaze at as one was falling asleep. At the head of the bed was what looked like a bed for one of the tigers with another such bed placed between the girl's bed and the door to the room. In the corner between the two windows was a cherry wood desk that that sported a nice computer beside which was a small shelf of the same wood which obviously used for little more than a place for storing school books and supplies that were seldom used. On the other side of the east window a dresser made of very high quality cherry wood was lined up with the south wall. A few feet over, Seiobo noticed a cherry wood framed full length mirror where her teal edged golden eyed target was examining herself in a savage looking outfit. Lastly directly next her was the door to the room beyond which was the door to what was apparently a walk-in closet.

o—o—o—o

Fifteen year old mutant and rookie X-Man, Kirriah Logan Code Name: Tiger Queen, looked over her sleekly muscled image in the mirror as she adjusted her solid black armbands before she dawned on the finishing touch to her new X-Man uniform -a solid black mask that covered her cat ears offering some much appreciated protection from injuries. Her uniform consisted of a two-piece outfit (black with purple wild stripes), which showed off her well-toned, tan midriff attractively. The top designed to be similar to her father's. There was even a place for her tail to fit through comfortably. Lastly she admired the flat healed solid black boots that ended at a single point just blow her knees.

_"Weird how all our names either suit us or our powers huh guys?"_ Kirriah thought to Sai and Kye who despite all appearances were neither her subjects or pets but rather siblings with four legs. They'd discovered the ability to mind speak to each other during a training simulation in the "Danger Room" meant to hone their team working abilities. "_I mean take Dad for instance-he's called Wolverine, which is a small solitary and violent animal who is fiercely loyal and protective of its family. That is so him. And Mom is called Wingblade also fitting as she flies and uses a katana at the same time… Oh shit I almost forgot my katana! Mom and dad had it for me as combination birthday and first mission present. They'd both kill me if I forget it!"_

Kirriah had barely turned away form the mirror to go look for her katana when she noticed what looked like a beautiful young woman standing in the far corner of her room. For a moment she was stunned to see her and stared at her as if she were a vision and not real. Why didn't she have a scent? Everything has a scent and if this "woman" had a scent why couldn't she smell her? What did she want and how did get here? For that matter how long had she been standing there? As Kirriah stared at this vision from her past she decided to consult one of her siblings on the matter. She decided that the one affectionately referred to, as the "mature one" seemed the best choice in this case as Sai seemed just as confused about the intruder as she was. Neither she nor Sai were completely sure if Kye had ever been confused a day in her life.

_"Kye, what do you make of this? Is she real or am I going nuts?"_

_"Well Kirri," _Kye began in her usual no-nonsense voice "_She defiantly is there. As to what to make of it I have a bad feeling about this. "Look behind her."_

Kirriah glanced at the space behind the intruder and gasped in shock and surprise. Propped up in the corner where she left it was her katana. This lady whoever she was had popped in the perfect place as to cut off her route to her weapon. Well no matter she always had her claws and Sai and Kye would protect her if they weren't enough. Worse come to worse the Professor always maintained a sort of telepathic link with everyone living in the mansion so she could always call for help that way. So with that in mind Kirriah squared her shoulders and prepared to face this intruder into her territory. As if on cue, Sai also took a defensive posture. If he and Kye weren't her self-appointed protectors, Kirriah might have actually been afraid to be in the same room with the two white Siberian tigers as they were twice the size they should be.

"Who are you and how did you get in the mansion undetected, let alone my room?" she demanded of the intruder.

"Why, I do think I am hurt." The woman said as she put her hand over her heart and appeared and sounded t o be truly hurt. She continued sweetly, "You mean after that afternoon in the woods we spent together nine years ago you do not remember me? And I was so sure we had a connection."

"Obviously not as I have no idea who you are." Kirriah to Kye's delight and the annoyance of her visitor was not an easy sell and refused to back down. Kirriah had no intention of trusting someone who just popped into her room without warning.

Seeming unfazed by her defiance the woman continued to use the same sweet voice, "Well, Kirriah, I suppose that you might have forgotten me as you were only six years old no matter I shall tell you again." Drawing herself up into an obvious regal pose she continued, "I am the Queen Mother of the West and Goddess of Immortality, patron goddess of all feline creatures, Seiobo."

"Nope, never heard of you." Kirriah stated casually as she stalked cautiously towards the self-proclaimed kami stopping several feet in front of where an apparently resting Kye lay on her bed between the door and Kirriah's bed. Kirriah was a little freaked that this "Seiobo" knew her name but she didn't become an X-Man by cowering before telepaths and people with strange powers. While she had never met one, Kirriah's dad had assured her that kami definitely existed. However without solid proof she wasn't going to believe that this strange woman was one. Even Seiobo really proved to be a kami, she still wasn't going to back down without a fight. Defiantly standing firm, she said, "So what do you want with me Seiobo? Either state your business or get the hell out of my room! I don't have time to waste with you I have important things to attend to that don't include you."

Anger briefly flashed across the kami's face, which caused Kirriah to grin to herself. _That's it get good and mad. It'll make my job so much easier._ If she was dealing with a telepath who could teleport it might be a good idea to contact the professor and get someone up here to back her up.

As if reading her thoughts, Seiobo spoke again in that same sweet tone except this time it was edged with a hint of cruelty. "It will do you no good to call for help at this point my dear. I have blocked off all communication to or from this room. I did not wish to be disturbed."

_"So now what guys? I'm supposed to go on my first mission as an official X-Man today! I can't believe this we're stuck here with this, this…."_ Kirriah was too frustrated, mad, and scared to finish the thought but her meaning was clear to her siblings. When all attempts to contact help proved unsuccessful, Kirriah knew she was trapped. However, she also knew that she could still fight and fight she would. Kirriah stood her ground and braced herself for whatever attack Seiobo might throw at her. No one would capture her without a fight and if this "goddess" thought she would roll over and submit just because she was cornered she was about to receive a BIG disappointment.

o—o—o—o

Seiobo wasn't completely sure what Kirriah's reaction to her sudden appearance and introduction would be but this wasn't it. She expected to be met with fear or perhaps reverence. But facing a suspicious, defiant brat who would struggle rather than go submissively like a good little weapon was the last thing she expected. Defiance was not acceptable and Seiobo would not tolerate it from anyone let alone this itan brat. Why wouldn't these things ever accept their place and submit to the authority of their betters (namely her and everyone else)? Well, at least the brat couldn't call that Professor of hers or anyone else for help as she had sealed off the room against any outside influences. Seiobo always took every precaution no matter how unnecessary it seemed. After all, one can never be too careful. That left only the two tigers but she wasn't the goddess of cats for nothing. She'd make sure they couldn't attack if she had to. She could and would use pain to make them submit, but that was up to them.

o--o--o--o

Kirriah trembled in furious frustration. She wanted to scream or cry anything release the tension that had built up inside her. But she also knew that if she did she would be playing completely into Seiobo's hands if she hadn't done so already. The first rule of battle she was taught was to never give in to anger in a fight as it clouds ones judgment. Kirriah tried taking a few deep breaths clear her head. If she was going to get out of this situation she had to be calm. She didn't see a way out of this situation. Of course that didn't mean that there wasn't one to be found if she could just stop and think.

Sensing his little sister's distress, Sai extended his consciousness toward Kirriah and brushed her mind gently. "_Come here, Kye can handle any aggressive actions that bitch can throw at her. Let her take care of Seiobo and let me take care of you."_

A sideways glance to the female tiger was rewarded with a nod and almost instantly Kye was on her feet. With one impressive leap, she was between Kirriah and her would-be captor. Kye gently nudged the distraught teen in the direction of the male tiger, who was still crouching defensively on his bed. "_I've got this bitch you get your ass over to Sai now. Don't make me snap at you."_

With a resigned sigh, Kirriah slowly relaxed her guard and hazarded one more defiant look at Seiobo before dashing over to where her big brother could protect her. Kye's mental voice had sounded really pissed. As soon as she was in reach, Sai was curled around her protectively and gently but firmly backing her towards the door of her room. "_You've got to get out of here Kirri" _Sai's voice flowed warm and familiar through her mind. "_I doubt that whatever she did to block our ability to communicate extends beyond this room. Go get help, we can hold her here."_

Kirriah had determined to be strong but everything about this whole situation seemed so overwhelming and Sai was so warm and comforting that she couldn't help but cry. "_But what about you guys? I can't just leave you here!"_ She wailed silently.

"_Hush!"_ Kye's voice came to her from across the room. "_We're not the ones she wants. Now get out of here before I get really annoyed."_ The words were harsh, but Kirriah could feel the true concern behind them. She knew that her siblings were right. She was helpless if she stayed here, the only way to get out of this was to get help from the others. She buried her face in Sai's fur, dredging up the all strength and courage she had gained from all of her years of training.

"Well." Seiobo began smugly, casually leaning against the wall, ignoring Kye's aggressive posture and waited for Kirriah to finish crying. When the sobs had ceased, Seiobo continued before Kirriah had enough time to truly compose herself "I take it you now understand that you are completely alone and at my mercy." Seiobo paused waiting for the girl's reaction.

Kirriah climbed up Sai's back just enough to rest her chin on top of his spine so she could see the woman clearly. Now that she had a plan, she just needed to keep the strange woman distracted long enough for her to reach the door. Keeping her voice what she hoped was calm and neutral Kirriah asked, "So what's your point? What do you want with me?"

Seiobo smiled maliciously at the teen before her and attempted to approach the girl sneering, "My point is that you are to be my triumph against a murderous creature who calls himself 'Monkey King'. I created you for this, now I'm here to complete the contract"

At her first step toward Kirriah, Kye growled and bared her teeth as she asserted her presence to the goddess further by forcefully sending, "_Take just one more step and I will kill you!"_

For the first time in her life, Seiobo found herself apprehensive. _What is going on? Who said that?_

_"That would be me."_ Kye retorted coldly as Seiobo continued to look around in confusion. "_I am right in front of you. And here I thought you were an all knowing goddess. My name is Kye and I am the tiger that is in your face growling. I remember you and don't appreciate your meddling in Kirri's life. However I am grateful Seiobo, for the wonderful gifts you gave my brother and me. Even so, I will bite your face off if you take one more step toward my little sister."_ The tiger snapped her impressive jaws to demonstrate her ability to carry-out the threat.

Kirriah saw her opening as Kye kept the woman distracted. Smiling inwardly, she scrambled for the door with all the speed and stealth of her 15-year-old body. She was inches from her target when she suddenly found herself sprawling backwards onto the lush carpet of her room. She looked up to find the woman standing over her.

"Honestly, Kirriah, I'm hurt. Are you _really_ trying to leave so soon? And after I came all this way just to see you."

Kirriah looked across the lengthy expanse of the room to where she had last remembered the woman standing. There was no way anyone could move that quickly unless…

"So ya've either got super speed or ya can teleport. Well I've trained with the best, lady. It's time to see how tough ya really are!" With that said, Kirriah leapt straight up in the air with all the agilities of her feline muscles. "_SAI!"_ She called out to her brother who was already leaping under Kirriah and towards the intruder. As Sai passed under her, Kirriah planted her feet on his shoulders and pushed off, simultaneously propelling him faster towards the woman and her towards the windows. Before she reached her goal, however, the woman appeared again directly in her path. Kirriah thought to plow into the woman and knocked her out of the way, but before she reached the intruder, she seemed to hit an invisible barrier that sent her bouncing away from her.

_"Who is she?"_ Kirriah thought to her siblings as she landed in a low crouch on all fours.

_"Dangerous"_ Came Kye's simple response as she advanced placing herself, once again, between Kirriah and the woman.

"So you want to involve your pet cats," Seiobo sneered, ignoring Kye and callously directing her comments toward Kirriah. "Alright my dear, if that's the way you want it. As the Goddess of Cats I have the power to defeat them easily enough but can you handle losing them?"

Kirriah snapped her head up and stared at Seiobo her shock, fear and disbelief plain in her eyes and on her face. Kirriah was aware of the hot tears that burned her eyes and flooded her vision and closed her eyes against them only to have the damn things start to flow down her face. Losing Kye and Sai was too devastating to think about but so was leaving the rest of her family to serve this strange and cruel kami –for that is what she had to be. A choice like this – it just wasn't fair. How could anyone expect her to make that kind of choice? As Kirriah wondered what she should do, she noticed Seiobo calmly begin to approach her once more. It was almost –no it was exactly the same as when Sai and Kye stalked their prey on hunting trips.

o—o—o—o

As she had warned, at Seiobo's first step toward Kirriah Kye lunged for the kami's throat determined to rip it out first. Just before she could connect with her target however, a severe pain lanced through her entire being and she fell to the ground curled up in as tight a ball as a tiger her size could against the pain. For a brief moment Kye couldn't see or hear for the pain and felt truly confused for the first time in her life. Kye was furious. That wasn't supposed to happen. When she lunged to attack something she always connected with it. So what the hell happened? Who had caused that searing … Seiobo. So that was it. For the first time since she and Sai were bonded to Kirriah nine years ago, Kye knew she was helpless to help her little sister. All she could do was to glare at the woman-thing in utter disgust as another attack would more than likely have the same result as the first.

When the pain died away and her senses cleared, Kye noticed Seiobo had actually crouched down to her eye level. _And is that a genuine look of concern for me on that kami bitch's face? _Kye heard what sounded something like a sincere apology for hurting her come from Seiobo as well as a warning about something else but she was too enraged and tired to hear her out. _Like I would ever forgive her after that._ Kye thought to herself. _If she can do this to me what could and would she do to little Kirri if she gets to her? _

o—o—o—o

Seiobo regretted hurting the female tiger after all tigers were some of the greatest cats in the world. They were strong and smart –most of the time. Before moving on to finish her business with her chibi assassin, she knelt down to make sure that the tigress had not been hurt too badly. Ignoring the hate in the tigress's eyes and the hurt in her own heart it caused she whispered softly in a truly apologetic voice, "I am truly sorry you had to go through that my fine lady. I need your Kirriah to do this important task for me; it's why I created all of you. By the way, she will never be able to ever return to this world as she is about to undergo certain changes soon that will prevent her from ever fitting in it again. Because of this, you and your brother will be accompanying her to the world where the Monkey King lives."

With that, Seiobo traversed the distance that remained between where she stood by the recovering tigress to instantly be in Kirriah's face firmly holding her chin. Laughing menacingly at the fear in Kirriah's eyes, she ignored the teen's feeble attempts at getting free of her grasp and said, "You have been a real pain to deal with, but it will all be worth it to see you finally submit to me. You will now agree to willingly go to the "Monkey King's" world and be my assassin right?"

Pleading replaced acceptance in the teen's eyes as she said softly, "Will you at least let me change, pack a few things, and leave my parent's a note first? And what about Sai and Kye are you gonna let them come with me? 'Cuz I won't leave 'em. I can't; they need me." the last sentence was said so soft that, even though Seiobo's ear was bare inches from her face almost missed it. _She truly is a pathetic creature. Even if she is part tiger, she is still part …whatever that thing is._

"Of course, my dear child and you may pack whatever you think you need as long as it is not more that you or they can carry." Seiobo had taken the teen's response to mean that she agreed to her proposal. She didn't want to deal with all the questions and responsibilities of officially making the girl her servant for all eternity –not yet anyway. Her submission was good enough…for now.

Seiobo released the girl and watched as Kirriah cautiously moved past her and disappeared into the closet. A few minutes later, a seemingly calm Kirriah emerged. She wore a simple outfit consisting of a plain tight-fitting black t-shirt that slightly showed off her midriff, a pair of black jeans, solid black hiking boots, and a black leather jacket (she still wore the armbands from her previous outfit). Straight away the teen became immersed in the packing of both the tigers' beds as well as her own clothes evidently aware that this was going to be a one way trip. Afterwards she checked over a large backpack with a bedroll attached to it. The teen then fastened everything (with the exception of the backpack which she placed by the female tiger) to the male tiger's back through the use of a strange looking harness after which she retrieved her katana from its corner. Everything she decided to take with her either fit on his back or in her pack.

Lastly, Kirriah went over to the computer desk and typed a note to her pathetic parents.

After finishing her note the teen stood up and the two tigers came to her side without any verbal prompting from the girl. Of course that didn't mean she hadn't called to them. Without turning around to face the goddess, the young mutant girl spoke. "Ok. We're ready now."

Without saying another word, Seiobo stretched out her will, pictured the spot where she wanted to plant her assassin and in a flash of light, they were in a forest only a few days travel from that disgusting animal's new home.

Seiobo checked the condition of her new assassin. The girl had lost consciousness –most likely from the transfer. Otherwise she was fine and her two tigers were in perfect condition to take care of her. Satisfied now that her assassin was now retrieved and perfectly placed, Seiobo returned to her palace in Tenki.

o—o—o—o

The woman had turned what should have been the best day of her life into the worst. She had hurt Kye without even touching her; Kye, the strongest of them by far. If Kye couldn't fight this woman, then how could she? She didn't want to do what this woman wanted her to do, but how was she supposed to resist? She would have to agree, at least for now. She'd wait, see where they were going, and when Seiobo mad her mistake, she would pounce and find her way home.

Kirriah didn't have to read minds to know that this goddess had no intention of ever letting her see her home again, but she would have to find a way …somehow.

Swallowing her pride, Kirriah swallowed hard, took a deep breath and begged Seiobo to let her pack, leave a note and change, and most importantly not to make her leave Sai and Kye. Even though she had said that they needed her the truth was that she was the one who needed them. She could fight and take care of herself in most wild environments, but the three of them had been together for so long and she didn't know what she would do without Kye's guidance and Sai's sense of humor to get through what was about to happen.

To Kirriah's surprise and confusion, all her requests were granted.

Carefully she edged past Seiobo before dashing to her closet to change. She couldn't bear to keep her uniform and the memories of what it had almost meant for her, but she would keep the bracers as a reminder to herself of where she came from. The all black look she selected suited her mood. Carefully Kirriah folded up her uniform and left it on the shelf. Taking three more pair of jeans and shirts as well as other essential clothing, Kirriah grabbed and pocketed her image inducer just before she exited the closet.

Pointedly ignoring her new master, the teen moved straight into packing her clothes and supplies and her siblings' beds and grooming supplies and double checked to make sure her wilderness pack was survival ready.

_"Little sister, you are going to let me play pack mule, right?" _Sai asked as she mad her last checks. She sighed inwardly.

_"Umm…sure if you want to."_ She hated making Sai play pack mule, but there was no way she could carry everything they would need on her own. Kirriah dug out the harness that Sai had dubbed the "Tiger backpack" and moved to fasten the harness to his back. "_Just let me know if it's too heavy for you."_

_"If I didn't want to I wouldn't have offered silly."_ Sai retorted in his usual light voice as he stood patiently through the process. By the time the harness was secure and loaded up, he'd lost track of how many times Kirriah had checked to make sure that the pack wasn't too heavy. So when she'd finished packing everything, he asked, "_What? Is that it?"_

_"Wha? Did I miss something?"_

_"Not that I can see. It was just that you asked so many times if it was too heavy and this is a pretty light load. It's not like that you keep a bunch of stuff."_

_"Hey Kirri,"_ Kye cut in. "_Get your katana."_

The relief from hearing Kye's strong voice again almost made Kirriah cry all over again, but the task at hand did not allow time for that. For now she had to be strong; there would be plenty of time for tears when she arrived wherever it was that she was going. Placing her pack by her big sister, Kirriah went to the corner and retrieved the precious weapon before heading to the computer to leave a note explaining the situation as best as she could to her parents. Both of them were going to be so upset (especially her dad) but that could hardly be helped. When she finished, she stood up and found that the world decided to start some crazy spinning dance sometime during the time she was writing the note to her parents.

_"Ok guys I need you to come over here 'cuz I if I try to move I'm gonna fall down."_

In almost no time her precious siblings were by her side. Taking a deep breath she addressed Seiobo in what she hoped was a clear voice. "Ok. We're ready now."

The last thing she remembered was a blinding flash of light.

o—o—o—o

(end of Chapter 2)

(Are we having fun yet?)


	3. Chapter 3: Way To Cope

Disclaimer: Saiyuki and all its characters -not mine- so don't sue. Kirriah, Sai, and Kye are mine ask before use. Seiobo is still a bitch so if you need a kami to kill, maim, or destroy feel free to use her…just let me watch evil grin.

_Special thanks goes out to Finem without your help and support none of this would be possible. You rule._

Chapter 3: The Way to Cope.

Sharp blue eyes scanned the area before being drawn to the darkening sky as another clap of thunder rang out followed closely by a bolt of lightening as it streaked across the horizon. Sai sighed and focused his attention back on the unconscious form of his little sister, as he reflected on the current situation of his family. It had been nearly four hours since that kami, Seiobo had transported them here; Kirriah hadn't even stirred once, and as if that wasn't bad enough, it was going to rain real soon. The confrontation with the goddess must've taken more out of her than he'd originally thought. Kirriah was always so strong. Even the worst of beatings never knocked her out for this long. Then again she never faced a kami or the pressures of psychological warfare in training before. This morning with Seiobo she'd had to face both at the same time. Under the circumstances, Kirriah had done exceptionally well in his opinion. Sai shifted as to shield Kirriah from view a little better as well as gain a more comfortable position in the grass. _She really is so very tiny._

_"Kye did ya find that shelter you were lookin' for yet? It's gonna rain real soon and our little sis ain't awake yet."_

_"Yes. As a matter of fact, I just found a nice cave that would shelter all of us nicely till the storm passes and she wakes. I will be there momentarily to carry her. The last thing Kirri needs right now, is to wake up soaked to the bone. And you need to calm down. Worrying is my job and I don't need any help."_

_"Whatever. I can't help it so sue me. You better get here soon."_

_"Just relax. I am almost there."_

As he waited for their clan leader to return, Sai reflected on the words Seiobo spoke to his sisters at the mansion earlier that morning. Although he had kept calm and had seemed not to hear anything he had heard every word that was said and made a mental note to go over them with Kirriah after she recovered.

Sai had never seen Kirriah as vulnerable as she had been in that confrontation. If Kirriah hadn't been in such a fragile state at the time, Sai swore he would have attempted to rip the woman's throat out himself for putting his little sister in such a state. Then there was whatever that kami bitch had done to Kye, who never before missed her target. What had put the "Great Kye" in so much agony?

As Sai pondered these things, Kye appeared in front of him and said in a bored tone, "_If you are done pondering the workings of the universe put Kirri on my back so we can get to the cave before it rains. We'll have to go a little slower than usual so that she doesn't fall."_

_"Huh?" _Sai said as he snapped out of his reverie. "_Oh ...right." _Sai gently picked up the unconscious teen and placed her on Kye's back and marveled again at how tiny she looked.

The trip to the cave was made in complete silence as worry about Kirriah's well-being had consumed the thoughts of both tigers and neither one was in the mood to share.

o—o—o—o

Kirriah moaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes one at a time testing to see if the world had decided to stop spinning. After several moments, Kirriah satisfied that it had, tried to sit up only to find that something heavy had her pinned down. Further examination revealed that both Kye and Sai were asleep and that Sai had placed his paw on her stomach to make sure she didn't try to go anywhere while he was taking his nap.

_"Hey Bigfoot do you mind moving heavy assed foot off my stomach so I can at least sit up? It ain't like I'm sick ya know!"_ the teen snapped aggravated.

Overjoyed by the sudden comment (irritated though it may have been) from his little sister Sai swiftly moved his paw so she could sit up. _"Be careful. You have been unconscious for nearly 8 hours. Are you sure you're alright?"_

_"Whaa …that doesn't make any sense I never stay …wait did you just say I was _unconscious _…unconscious from what?"_

Sai knew Kirriah probably wasn't ready for the shock but he'd never had the heart to lie to her. Now was no different even though to do so would spare her from the shock that her whole world would never be the same again. Taking a deep breath Sai replayed the entire morning back for her ending with what Seiobo had said about her having to kill the Monkey King and then disappearing shortly after depositing them in the forest.

Kirriah starred outside at the solid wall of water covering the entrance of the cave created by the heavily falling rain outside. Determined to keep it together long enough to get the answers she required she asked,"_'An, I take it you and Kye brought me here to keep me from wakin' up soaked right?"_

_"Yeah. Seiobo isn't here anymore and you _are _safe so it's ok to fall apart now. Have yourself a good long cry. Then, you need to eat something and get some sleep. We'll decide what to next in the morning when we all can see things more clearly."_

With that Kirriah cried out everything she'd been holding in. She cried for the missed mission and the life as an X-man that she had worked so hard for and now would never have. But most of all Kirriah cried for her parents and twin sister, Katriana who she would never see again and who would never again be able to see her. When she had finished the teen dug out some trail rations she had fixed for the camping trip she and her father had planned to celebrate her birthday and new status as an X-Man. Now instead of greedily eating them with her father she was barely able to force enough of them down to satisfy her body's food needs for the day. Kirriah, despite her long and trying day, still managed to unpack Sai's and Kye's beds and lay them out in their usual places with just enough energy to grab a blanket and curl up next to Sai before she fell asleep.

o—o—o—o

"And for the hundredth time this whole thing is my fault! I was the one who screwed up! Iwasn't prepared enough! I'm the one who lost focus and played right into her hands! ME! No one else. Me!"

_"And I_ _say that is was _me_! It isn't your fault that you faced a situation that you hadn't been allowed to train for. I_ _should have been a better protector to you. I should have tried to attack again. It may have worked if I had tried a second time"_

"Right Kye like she wouldn't have done the same thing to you again or worse. You already said that it was like she had taken your own momentum and strength and turned it against you without _even lifting a_ _finger_! And that it was that power that caused the searing pain you felt! You said so yourself."

Sai's eternal patience had come to its end. Kirriah and Kye had been going back and forth like this for the past two days. This morning from the time she woke up, Kirriah had once again taken up the argument but in the past few hours had started using her voice in the argument as if that would get her point across any better. The fact that it had been raining off and on the whole time didn't help matters any. It wasn't raining now, but the sun wasn't shining either. That meant the rain could start up again at any time. Sai decided to put a stop to this argument once and for all…now.

_"ENOUGH!" _He roared._ "This is no way to cope with our current situation! Kye you are supposed to be the mature, rational one so act like it already! And as for you, Kirriah Jean Logan, what happened yesterday was_ not _your fault! It was that kami bitch Seiobo's fault and no one else's! Have I made myself clear?"_

Both teen and tiger nodded as they looked at him in surprise. Sai never yelled or used Kirriah's full name unless it was bad. "_You're right. Sorry."_ they apologized simultaneously.

As if to verify the emotional storm's passage, the sun came out in all its brilliance bringing with it the promise of hope and happiness to the homesick mutant girl's heart and a much missed smile to her face.

Suddenly Kirriah jumped up with all her old enthusiasm and smiled, "_I'm going out to scout out the area for a town where I can get some supplies. And before either of you ask, no, I don't need any assistance. However, if you guys would be so kind to hunt us up some dinner that would be a great help."_

With that Kirriah put on her image inducer and fastened her sword to her back and left he cave, to find a town where she could get some supplies and if need be a job to earn them.

o—o—o—o

(Three months later in the forest near Chang'An Temple)

Kirriah looked up at the sky and stifled a groan just as the first drops of a fresh storm began to fall.

_You've got to be kidding me! Not more rain! _

The young feline mutant checked to make sure the tarp covering the packs that housed her sword, image inducer and supplies –especially fire wood on Kye's back was secure against the inevitable downpour. It had been raining for the past three days; ever since she'd left the village where she had spent the last three months as part of the town guard, protecting the villagers from the random youkai attacks that the mayor had reported as becoming more and more frequent during resent months.

She had considered herself fortunate that her shift was late at night and she was left to do her work alone. At least no one asked her how she did her job alone or seemed interested in watching her work. The fact that there never seemed to be a lack of need of her "special skills" was both relief and disturbance to her. For while there was always a way for her to keep supplied, it also meant that she had to keep the image inducer on her at all times whenever she was in or near any town. And even though it hid her cat-shaped eyes ears and tail perfectly, the energy that made the hologram always made her skin crawl.

_I don't think they would have been very understanding about my looks taking into account what they go through with these youkai. I know that I'm not one but my looks are pretty similar. Lucky for me, I remembered to bring that mage inducer Uncle Hank made me last year. But no matter how useful it is I still hate the damn thing._

The drizzle turned into a steady downpour.

_"Sai how's that search for shelter coming?" _Kirriah called out to her big brother.

_"Almost done. Gotta finish checking this cave, but it looks promising."_ the male tiger responded patiently.

_"Ok. Just let me know when you're sure, O, brother mine. By the way, the rain's started up again so please hurry."_ whined the now wet teen.

_"Consider it done, little sister." _came her brother's cheerful reply.

Kirriah looked around for a moment and saw a group of trees that were so close together that the ground beneath was merely wet verses the waterlogged state of the current area where she stood.

_"Kye, let's wait under those trees over there. No use standing full out in this mess."_

Placing her hand on her big sister's shoulder, Kirriah urged Kye forward toward the temporary shelter. Just as the rain became a heavy downpour they reached the trees.

_Has it really been nine years since I first met Kye and...?_

_Kye! Kirri!_ Sai's excited masculinevoice cut into her thoughts. "_I've found a cave with plenty of legroom…big enough to live in! No residents…human or otherwise!"_

_"Great! Where?" _Kirriah and Kai replied simultaneously.

_"Just stay there and I'll come guide you lovely ladies to your new home." _he replied with a mental chuckle.

_"Ok, ok just hurry."_ they replied, as they sent him an image of where they were.

o—o—o—o

_Hmm…_ Kirriah thought as she surveyed Sai's cave a few hours later as she waited for her to dry on the make-shift clothesline she'd set up so that she could cook her rabbits and the vegetables she had set aside for her dinner._ This does seem as good a place as any to call home. _There was a cubby in the large front area that was the perfect spot Kye's bed –high and centered with a clear view of the "doorway". Deeper into the cave, equal distance to either side of Kye's "room", were two more areas, only slightly smaller than the living/dining room and kitchen area. The area on the left side was raised up about to the same height as Kye's room, and had a raised cubby – a perfect spot for Sai's bed so the teen decided that that would be their room. After placing the beds in their proper places, Kirriah piled all the rest of the stuff in the other room deciding that it would be the storage area and that the rest of the unpacking and organizing could wait till morning.

o—o—o—o

Several hours later, Kirriah looked out at the rain streaked night sky as she was eating her dinner. Sai and Kye had finished and retired for the night an hour ago leavingtheyoung mutantalone with her thoughts. _This is my home now, and all that is left of my family is right here. I'll be damned if I live in some city where they won't be able to live too. City life is so overrated anyway. I belong here with Sai and Kye, in the wild where we can allbe free. Tomorrow I'll set the place up to be a bit more homelike. _

After a quiet meal, she watched the night rain fall as she cleaned and prepared the hides for drying during the next sunny week.

_I wonder how long this rain going to last...not that I mind the rain too much. But, it's gotta get dry and sunny again before I'll be able to set out the firs and skins for drying._

o—o—o—o

The next day as Kirriah unpacked and put away the supplies in the store room, she noticed that the walls were lined with numerous ledges and cubbies forming a series of natural shelves and cabinets. The teen couldn't help but think that all this was too good to be true. After all what were the odds of finding a cave this big with all the natural formations they needed to make it a home.

Kirriah shook off the thought as her being paranoid and busied herself with the process of settling into her new home humming the song her mother used when she sang her back to sleep whenever she woke from nightmares. After all she'd been through she deserved at least a small break right?

o—o—o—o

-Tenki

Kanzeon Bosastu had watched Kirriah ever since Seiobo had showed up with her. the Goddess ofMercy knew the younger goddess's purposefor bringing the girl. Today however, the goddess marveled at the similarities between this strange human girl and Goku –age and height being the most obvious. The most remarkable thing was that with the exception of the bright teal edges her eyes were the exactly the same as his.

Kanzeon Bosastu watched with great interest, as over the past three months, the teen went out of her way to help and protect people that she knew would have killed her if they knew her true appearance –another similarity. Kirriah knew full well that if she were to be discovered, the townspeople would assume that she was a youki and kill her without giving the matter a second thought. Despite the personal risk she took the job and even requested the most dangerous part of the night shift. The girl had been told that she could stay in the inn for free and eat as much as she wanted as part of her wages. Kirriah had responded excitedly that the free food was great and then asked that if instead of lodgings she could work for supplies of equal value, stating that she needed the supplies more.

Based on her actions, despite the girl's exceptional fighting skills, the goddess of mercy concluded that the teen was not in any way a threat to her nephew or his pet. She was if nothing else an innocent and protected other innocent lives with so much passion that one would think the world would end if she failed. So, as a reward, she had set up the cave the teen was now fixing up to be home to her little family.

o—o—o—o

(End of chapter 3)

(We're pickin' up speed so hang on tight.)


	4. Chapter 4: Stalling

Disclaimer: Ok time to recap...Seiobo, Kirriah, Sai, and Kye are mine. This story is mine. Any Saiyuki or marvel characters or ideas belong to their respective creators… not me. I have absolutely no money…so don't sue.

_AN: I love to read reviews, comments, and feedback. So please review this if you can. It will let me know who all is interested and help me to make the story better. Also…telepathic communication takes place in a much shorter time than regular speech in this story._

_words -- _thoughts 

"_words"_ -- telepathic communication

Chapter 4: Stalling won't change anything.

As she cleaned her little family's den, Kirriah hummed the song that her mother had used to chase away her nightmares, before she was stolen away from home. Kirriah hated work of any kind unrelated to her idea of survival. However, the rain had returned and decided to stick around for a while, so she cleaned in order to expel her excess energy.

"_Kirri?" _Sai asked gently as he moved into the space Kirriah had just finished cleaning in effort to get out of her way. It had been a month since Sai had found their new home and other than the occasional visit -once or twice a month from that pain in the ass kami there had been no mishaps since they had moved in. _"Have you thought about that conversation we had a couple of weeks ago?"_

"_Which one?"_ The teen asked innocently as she continued to do her chores.

"_The one about the guy you are supposed to kill for Seiobo."_ He replied patiently knowing full well that Kirriah hated to think about the cruel kami.

"_Oh. That one…"_ the young mutant said as a shadow briefly passed over her face. A moment later she shrugged, _"To be honest I haven't thought about it since she was here." _

As she continued her chores, Kirriah couldn't help but to think back to the kami and her visits. They were all the same. Seiobo would come down and ask her why she hadn't killed the Monkey King yet. She would point out that she hadn't settled in yet so she couldn't. Seiobo seemed to accept the reason because afterwards the kami always left her in peace…until two weeks ago.

o-o-o-o

-Two weeks ago-

-Tenki -

Seiobo was pissed. A lecture from the high and mighty Kanzeon Bosatsu was not how she had wanted to start her day this morning. But that was exactly what had happened. Somehow the older goddess had discovered her plan to destroy the itan creature her father had allowed to be set free and felt it necessary to make her aware of that fact. In addition, Kanzeon hinted that she'd expose her to her father, Tentei, if any harm came to that thing or its master.

Seiobo decided that it was time to teach her chibi assassin where her place was.

o-o-o-o

Kirriah woke to the mid-morning sun, shining in all its brilliance, coming in through the doorway of her den, accompanied by a warm breeze. The young feline mutant stretched and rolled lazily onto her side so that her back could be warmed by the sun's rays, and noticed that Kye was already up. A quick glance around and a couple of sniffs told her that while Sai was still there asleep, her big sister was gone. _Miss Responsibility probably went to hunt up breakfast for everyone. _The teen shrugged as she rolled to her other side smiling widely as she basked in warm sunlight. As she did, the young feline mutant remembered the full moon she gazed at after she'd returned home from her watch shift the night before. It had been so beautiful that she stared at it till sleep had come to claim her. It was a wonderful night. No youkai attacks had been reported through her shift, so there wasn't that much to write in her report. Learning to speak Chinese was easy enough, but reading and writing it still gave her a little trouble. And the teen knew as the sun's warmth seemed to fill her soul that today was going to be perfect as well.

Suddenly a shadow appeared across her face and a chilling presence filled the room and Kirriah knew that today was going to suck.

"Do ya mind you're blockin' th' sun." the feline teen growled at the shadow, not caring that it was Seiobo, as she rolled onto her other side.

In the next instant, Kirriah found herself face down on the stony surface of the den floor. A pain spread in her back that more than likely indicated a cracked rib or two. On top of that, there was another slightly more intense pain unlike any she'd felt before. However, she couldn't quite identify where it had come from.

Kirriah's instincts took over. She jumped up with her claws bared and snarled, "Grrrargh! That hurt ya bitch!" The furious mutant didn't even feel the cool breeze or hear the loud clap of thunder signaling a sudden storm's approach.

"You will address me as 'Mistress'," Seiobo retorted as she instantly appeared next to the teen and punched her in the stomach before she could react, sending Kirriah crumpling to the floor. Another loud clap of thunder followed by a sudden heavy downpour of rain accented the kami's words. Looming over the teen she continued, "You are _not_ my equal...not even close! You are an itan...the lowest ranked of all creatures."

As Kirriah tried to stand, she collapsed to her knees, doubled over, and gasped for air. Again there was an "extra pain" just as with the first blow. However this time it was more intense and lingered on, slowly working its way through her system. Normally any pain from a blow like the one she'd just sustained would have been driven away by her healing factor almost instantly, having only served to stir up the need to kick the offending party's ass. The problem was that these blows seemed to be infused with some strange new pain that had a near debilitating effect to it. These extra pains seemed to be intensifying with each new blow. This one had been a good deal more intense than the first, and it had been all Kirriah could do not to cry out.

Kye sensed her sister's pain. Concern filled her strong voice as she asked, _"Kirri you ok? What's going on? Sai are you up?"_

"_I am now. What's the emergency that you had to wake me from such a wonderful dream and breakfast ain't even here yet?" _The male tiger groggily replied.

"'_M fine, Kye. Seiobo's here and feellin' physical this mornin' is all." _Kirriah replied as she tried to catch her breath.

"_Do you need any backup?"_ Kye and Sai asked simultaneously.

Kirriah heard her brother land as he hopped out of his bed and knew that she had to get the situation under control fast or it was going to end up becoming a repeat of what happened when Seiobo had stolen her from home. The teen willed the pain out of her mental voice as she said, _"Onee-chan you just keep huntin'. I'm sure Sai an' I can handle things here. If we can't then we'll call ya. Though, I think at this rate I might a healer after this. Damnit! And it had started off as such a _good _day too!"_

_"I'm finished hunting and I will be on my way back with breakfast as soon as this rain stops. You had better not be hurt when I get there or I swear that I will kill her," _Kye shot back.

"Oh...did that hurt?" Seiobo asked mockingly.

"Yeah…_M-mistress_." The proud mutant choked and growled out the last word as she tried to stand only to receive another kick in her gut sending her twisting across the floor and impacting with the wall as she landed at Sai's feet. This time a small cry and whimper escaped her. The young mutant shuddered and curled up on herself as she waited for the pain to pass.

"Good. It was supposed to," The feline kami sneered. "It is time for you to learn your place. I have been lenient with you up to now to give you a chance to adjust to your new station and home, but that will no longer be the case. From now on you will kneel at all times when you are in my presence, unless I give you permission to do otherwise."

"_SEIOBO!" _Sai roared as he entered the room just in time to see his little sister curl up on the floor at his feet from yet another of the kami's blows. The male tiger paused in order to calm his voice and position himself between Seiobo and his little sister, he continued growling to emphasize his warning, _"Hurt my little sister again in any way and I will kill you."_

"_Not if I get to her first!" _Kye interjected.

"_No! Onii-chan don't do anythin' please."_ The young mutant cried out in panic as she grabbed his leg. The memory of what happened when Kye tried to that back at the mansion was still fresh in her mind. Kirriah slipped back into a private connection with her siblings before she continued. _"That's just what she wants you to do. Remember, we decided to play her game for now. When she makes her big mistake…that's when we take her out...not before. In the mean time, you guys have to pretend to just be my loyal pets that can to talk to people in their heads. No matter what she does to me, unless she actually kills me, you guys have to promise not to interfere. Let her think she's won...for now, Ok? Besides onee-chan you can't get to her anyway from where you are."_ the teen finished.

"_Alright, we promise not to interfere until you give the word,"_ Kye reluctantly agreed.

Anger still laced Sai's mental voice as he replied, _"That is unless you lose consciousness. Best we can do."_

"_Fair enough. Thanks," _the teen agreed. With that understanding she pushed past Sai to kneel before Seiobo, eyes trained on the ground to hide her own rage. She knew the time for open defiance _would _come later and with it vengeance.

"There, that is much better," Seiobo purred. "Well, I see that you have completely settled into your new home." Seiobo paused as she looked around the den. "And such a _lovely_ home it is too. How did you find it?"

Kirriah was suspicious of the kami's sudden interest in her home, but in effort to appear submissive, the teen answered in a neutral voice, "Don't know Mistress. Just lucky I guess."

Allowing the pleasantness in her voice and features to drop, the kami said sharply, "So why have you failed to perform your appointed task? There had better be a good reason or the pain you have experienced so far will seem insignificant by comparison to what I will do to you next."

"What do ya mean?" the teen asked as she looked up innocently at the kami.

"Baka itan!" the goddess stormed as she struck Kirriah in the back of the head. The force of the blow caused the girl's head to bounce off the ground hard which created a gash on her forehead, which healed almost immediately. The kami new that the additional pain that she'd infused into each of her blows however would take several minutes more before it dissipated completely. She had gradually been increasing the amount of additional pain accompanying each blow so as to gage how much pain Kirriah could take before passing out. So far, the teen's resilience was surprising…much higher than expected. Ignoring the teen's cries and gasping inquiry as to the reason for the blow, Seiobo continued, "I want you to tell me why you have as yet to kill the Monkey King…now."

"Oh…that." Without raising her head or opening her eyes, Kirriah took a deep breath before asking in what she hoped was a deferent voice, "Permission to speak frankly…Mistress?" the teen asked as she closed her eyes more tightly, swallowed hard, and braced herself for another hit. Kirriah knew that she must have sounded militant, which did not exactly qualify as subservience. Silently, the young mutant waited for the kami's response as she winced inwardly.

Kirriah's answer as well as her reaction to it caused the kami to smile cruelly, but her voice sounded almost kind when she said, "Since you asked so nicely, I will allow it…just this once."

Sighing inwardly Kirriah decided to play a few head games of her own. Keeping her head bowed and eyes closed she said, "Thank you, Mistress." She paused to take a deep breath and let it out before continuing. "The reason I haven't killed him yet is simple. I don't know anythin' 'bout the guy. Ya know things like where does he live or hang out? What does he look like? Ya know, stuff like that. Ya didn't tell me a single thing about him 'side from the name Monkey King and that he is supposed to get his thrills from death and destruction. An' with all due respect, I hope you didn't expect for me to come in, setup shop, and kill every guy I saw till you came down and said that I had got him. I've spent my entire life trainin' to _protect_ the innocent and I don't plan on killin' a single one…_ever_. "

"So you mean to tell me, all this time the only thing you needed to complete your task was a little information? Why didn't you ask earlier?" Seiobo asked feigning innocence.

"But Mistress…I asked you several times…you refused," the teen pleaded careful to keep her head down and eyes hidden.

"Well…he looks…" the kami paused deliberately before adding in attempt to bait the young mutant, "…like you."

Kirriah's head shot up suddenly, her teal-edged golden eyes wide open in shocked surprise. "So you mean to tell me that the Monkey King is a _girl_? But I thought that this Monkey King person was a guy," she said in utter naivety.

"No," Seiobo said as she struck the young mutant across either side or her face, which briefly left claw marks and sent two more separate waves of pain coursing through the girl. The kami closed her eyes and listened in pleasure to Kirriah's screams of pain and waited for the loudest of them to cease before she continued. Leaning close to the trembling girl's ear she said in a cold, soft voice, "The Monkey King lives in this area. He is a _boy_ about your age with long, wild brown hair and wears a golden diadem. His eyes are exactly the same as yours…except they do not have the teal edge that adorns your own. Now that you have a description of your target, my chibi assassin, you have no more excuses to hide behind. I will return in one month. If the Monkey King is not dead, then I will make your life infinitely worse than it is now." With that Seiobo disappeared.

o-o-o-o

After the kami left, Sai crept over to where his little sister lay curled up on the floor and silently curled around her. Gently easing one of his front paws under her head, he offered whatever solace his presence could give. Kirriah took a deep, shaky breath as the last of the pain finally subsided and stared sullenly at the wall of water that now covered the den's entrance. She didn't bother to wipe at the tears, which slowly streaked down her face as she weighed her options against what her mistress had just said. _How can a boy my age possibly be this sinister Monkey King guy? What if the Monkey King is really an innocent and Seiobo just doesn't like him because of some stupid reason, like the color of his eyes or somethin'? For that matter what was wrong with having gold eyes anyway? Sure they're rare things to see. So are blue moons, but no one calls those bad. _She knew that if the Monkey King was an innocent that there was no way that she could possibly kill him.

_Never harm the innocent; always protect them._ Her father's, words rang in her mind. He had damn near killed her in the Danger Room teaching that particular lesson when she had accidentally killed some simulated innocent bystanders in a prior training exercise. She knew would have to meet this Monkey King because of another rule that her father drilled into her. _Always know your enemy and why he/she is your enemy. _She was also taught: _Always fight for your own reasons and whenever possible on your own terms. Never attack just because someone tells you to. _This meant that she had a choice to make and the consequences of that choice would be hers to bear either way. That only left one question. If her target was an innocent, could she accept whatever it was Seiobo had planned to do in order to punish her disobedience?

-End of flashback-

o-o-o-o

"_So are you going to do it?" _Sai probed.

"_Huh?"_ The teen responded as his voice snapped her out of her reverie. _"Do what?"_

"_Kill the Monkey King rocks-for-brains. What else?" _he teased in an effort to lighten the teen's mood some.

Kirriah sighed and closed her eyes as she sank to her knees beside the tiger and said_, "Well...Dad said I should never kill someone unless they are a direct threat to myself, my family, or an innocent. I've never seen this guy before so he isn't a direct threat to my family or me. No one at the guardhouse has ever mentioned anyone who looks like 'im so he can't be threatening innocents in the area. So, I have to meet 'im first. If I don't, then I dishonor my parent's memory and I can't…no…_won't _do that. Father and Mother taught me better than that..._much _better," _the teen finished as she sullenly stared down at her hands.

Sai shifted so that he could look Kirriah in the eye. His voice was tender as he replied, _"And when are you gonna do all that? You can't stall forever. You only have two weeks left to before that kami comes back. Do you even know where he lives? You know that stalling won't change anything."_

"_No," _Kirriah admitted as she continued to stare at her hands._ "Do ya have any ideas as to where I should start lookin' onii-chan?" _the teen asked as she looked up into the eyes of her beloved brother.

Sai sighed before responding, _"As it so happens…I just might." _The tiger paused to make sure he had Kirriah's full attention before he continued._ "I was out exploring yesterday while you were sleeping and came across this temple. There, I heard a group of priests there talking about someone they called 'Priest Sanzo recently picked up a small boy. The boy, it seems causes a lot of trouble for them. What really caught my attention was when one of them remarked that the boy's _golden_ eyes should have warned Priest Sanzo about the trouble that he would cause."_

"_Well that's as good a place as any to start. Thanks onii-chan," _the teen said as she stretched but made no motion to get up.

"_So when do you plan to stop stalling and go meet him?" _Sai asked.

Kirriah got up and looked around the den trying to find anything that she had left undone. Finding nothing, the teen turned to look outside to find that the rain had decided to take a break as well. With a resigned sigh, Kirriah said, _"No time like the present I suppose, but I really don't want to do this. It jus'…don't…feel right."_

"_I know little sister. I know," _he said gently. Sai fell silent as he watched the young assassin strap on her katana and put on her image inducer. Once she indicated that she was ready, he crouched down and said, _"Hop on my back and I'll take you there. Before you ask…it'd be at least a five hour hike for any human…even for you. Just in case you have to fight let me carry you there so you can conserve your energy."_

"Thanks onii-chan," she said softly in an effort to get used to speaking again as she climbed on his back.

As Sai leapt out of the den, a light rain began to fall.

o-o-o-o

Goku lay on his bed and moaned softly as he stared longingly out the window. It was too quiet and boring inside the temple, but Sanzo had told him that he had to stay inside because of the rain. At first, the saru had tried to amuse himself by playing a combination of tag and hide and seek with the acolytes but they didn't seem to like the game much. When they finally caught Goku, they literally dragged him kicking and screaming to Sanzo, who _really_ didn't like being bothered because of it. Sanzo had hit him in the head with that fan thingy he always seemed to have and had told him to shut up and stay in his room. So now here he was bored and alone…again. What was he supposed to do now? He had all this energy and nothing to do. Goku hated this feeling. He had tried asking Sanzo if could go outside and play when the rain stopped, but every time he did, the priest just said "no" and hit him in the head with the fan…or at least that's what he'd done the last ten times he'd asked.

He had almost decided to go outside to play anyway…no matter what the weather was like, when he noticed that the downpour had stopped. The scent on the breeze told him that there would be more rain soon…if he was going to play outside then he'd have to go now. The saru peeked carefully around the corner into Sanzo's office. _Good. He's still at it._ Quietly he slipped back into his room and out the window to freedom.

o-o-o-o

Priest Genjyo Sanzo leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk and stared alternately at the mountain of paperwork in front of him and the rain falling outside. He didn't look very priest-like and didn't care. Between the rain and the paperwork he was in a very bad mood. Add to that a certain baka chibi saru who kept causing trouble with the acolytes and you got a day that-simply put- sucked. It was days like today that made the priest wish that he had left that saru where he had found him.

o-o-o-o

The first thing that Goku noticed when he got outside was that all the scents were more intense than before. It was as if the whole world had been asleep all this time and now was wide-awake. Everything seemed to be alive and brimming with extra energy -including him. He felt a completeness that he had never felt before…even with Sanzo. After several minutes of trying to figure out why this was, he looked down at his feet to find that they had disappeared. As he lifted his legs there was a "squish" and his feet reappeared. The sound tickled him inside so much that he forgot that he was supposed to be quiet and giggled uncontrollably as he continued to play this new game.

Suddenly a droplet of water hit his cheek and he paused to stare up at the sky. A few seconds later it w as joined by another and then before he knew it there was a light rain falling and he was completely wet. Caught up in the joy of moment, he danced around in the falling water laughing as he sang, "More rain! Yaaay!"

o-o-o-o

Sanzo looked up from his paperwork. It was quiet…too quiet. It had been over an hour without even one sound coming from Goku's room. Sure, he had told that baka chibi saru to shut up and stay in his room so the acolytes would leave him in peace. However…even that had never stopped him for this long before. Perhaps he fell asleep?

The priest had just decided to go check on the boy when he heard the unmistakable sound of Goku's laughter coming from _outside_ the building. Casually, Sanzo stood up, walked to the window, and looked out the portal. Sure as the rain that was once again falling, there was Goku staring dumbly up at the sky, as the rain washed over his face. _I'm going to kill him._ With that thought in mind Sanzo stalked out of his office and headed for the door to the area where a certain soon-to-be-dead chibi saru was playing.

o-o-o-o

The young assassin soundlessly slipped off the tiger's back and crouched next to him for a moment before saying,_ "I can handle things alone from here."_

Laughing Sai said,_ "Ok then little sister I'm heading back home to my _dry _bed. _He regarded his little sister for a moment before adding, _Kye and I can get here in almost no time. Call if you need anything._

"_Whatever ya lazy bum. Ya just wanna go take a nap. Go ahead I'll be fine," _she teased. For the first time since she had discovered the mental link…she let it fall completely silent.

As the tiger soundless left the area, the assassin flipped a switch on her watch/image inducer, which hummed softly as a hologram appeared around her. The teen closed her eyes as she adjusted to the tingling sensation the device caused. Now, because of its unique design, anyone who saw her would see a Chinese teenage human girl with long black hair secured into a braid at the base of her neck and teal eyes wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt -which slightly exposed her midriff, jeans, leather jacket, and hiking boots -all black. Of course, whenever she spoke her Japanese accent always betrayed her foreign heritage and she still had a little trouble following a really fast paced conversation. The young mutant knew that while time and practice would fix her mastery of speaking and following rapid conversations, there probably wasn't any way to erase her accent entirely.

A child's laughter reminded the young feline assassin of her purpose for being here. With all the stealth of a tiger, she soundlessly approached the edge of the tree line where the forest bordered the temple grounds beyond. As she scanned the area, she saw a boy playing in the temple yard. He tilted his head up just as a light rain began to fall. For a moment, he seemed to be entranced by the feel of rain on his face. Suddenly he started to laugh and dance around the yard as he sang out, "More rain! Yaaay!"

Between her position and heightened senses of sight, hearing, and smell the young mutant assassin was able to fully assess the physical description of the boy, except for his eyes. She noted that the boy had long wild brown hair which was mostly tied back in a ponytail and the sleeveless white high-necked shirt with black trim and jeans he was wearing. She also noticed that he wasn't wearing any shoes -even in this wet weather. The center of a golden diadem gleamed from his forehead. His height and age the young assassin judged were roughly the same as her own. Something inside the young assassin told her that this boy was in fact the Monkey King that her mistress had her to kill. However, that same "voice" also told her that he was an innocent.

o-o-o-o

Sanzo stood on the porch and watched as Goku danced around in the rain like an idiot for a few minutes before he yelled, "GOKU!"

"Huh?" the chibi saru responded as he turned to face the man who had freed him from that miserable stone cage that he'd been locked in for so long. He blinked up at Sanzo for a moment his confusion plain in his brilliant gold eyes -having completely forgotten that he wasn't supposed to be outside in the first place.

"Bakazaru," continued the priest as he lowered his voice slightly. His face was flushed with anger as he glowered down at the young boy. "If you don't get your ass inside right now, I'm going to kill you!"

"But Sanzo, why?" Goku whined. "I like the rain. It's fun and makes the dirt go 'squish', see? See? See? See Sanzo? See? See?" The boy was so wrapped up in proving his point, that he didn't notice that Sanzo had left the porch until the priest's fan had hit him sharply in the head, knocking him into the mud. "Owww!" he cried out as he sat up. "What'd ya do that for?"

"Just shut up and get your ass inside right now…or I will kill you."

Sanzo's voice was calm but his eyes held a note of warning that the saru knew he shouldn't ignore. But he had been having so much fun! As he rubbed his head where the priest had hit him, he made a final protest, "Ya never let me do anythin' fun. I can't get sick so what's the problem?"

Sanzo said nothing. Instead, he raised his fan and struck again.

"Ow ow ow! Ok, ok. I'm goin', I'm goin'." the saru pouted as he got up and started to head for the temple rubbing the spot where Sanzo had last hit him.

He had barely taken a few steps when the wind changed directions and he was hit with a strange new scent, which stopped him in his tracks. After sniffing the air a couple more times, he whirled around and dashed off in the direction the scent was coming from, excitement blazing in his golden eyes.

_This is gonna be the best game of hide and seek ever!_

o-o-o-o

_(End of chapter 4…to be continued)_

_(Don't you just love cliff hangers?)_


	5. Chapter 5:Rain and Two Muddy Animals

Disclaimer: If you are just joining the party read chapters 1- 4 as homework first. Saiyuki and all its characters…not mine. They belong to Kazuya Minekura. Seiobo's a bitch who is up for torture by the one who has most painful method. Kirriah Sai and Kye are mining alone. Official X-Men characters belong to Marvel Comics and Stan Lee. I have no money for suing…so please don't bother trying…complete waste of time.

_AN: From this point on due to Kirriah's Japanese heritage I am using the English version of Goku's pet title. Also, I used telepathic communication to denote the "voice" Sanzo heard. I figured that it was close enough to telepathy to denote it as such. (exhales sharply) Now that all of that is out of the way, here's chapter 5…._

_words_ – thoughts 

"_words"_ -- telepathic communication

Chapter 5: Rain and Two Muddy Animals.

Awareness of new scent broke the young assassin out of her thoughts. She found her attention focused on the temple porch where a tall, blond, and very angry priest now stood. The boy she'd been watching seemed oblivious to the man or his mood until he yelled out a name; Goku. Afterwards the priest had the boy's full attention, so the young assassin surmised that this was his name. From their conversation she also gathered that the priest was called "Sanzo", so this was definitely the pair that Sai had mentioned. The way this Sanzo guy spoke was so like her father that the young mutant felt her ears flatten against her head in fear as he yelled even though she knew that she was not the target of his anger. Using the same tone of voice as her father, Sanzo had ordered Goku to get inside. Instead of obeying immediately the boy whined and tried to prove how much fun the rain was. He didn't notice Sanzo had left the porch, until the priest hit him in the head with a fan.

After she had learned the names of the man and boy, the young assassin only half listened to the conversation until Goku told Sanzo that he _couldn't_ get sick. The young mutant returned her full attention to the scene just in time to see Goku get up and take a few steps in the direction of the temple rubbing his head. Suddenly, she felt the wind change directions and watched in horror as he stopped dead in is tracks. She knew by his posture that he had caught scent of something new; instinct said that "something"…was her. A moment later, her worst fear was realized as Goku appeared to sniff the air a couple more times, before he whirled around and dashed off in her direction excitement blazing in his _golden_ eyes.

_That's it. I'm screwed,_ the teen thought miserably closing her eyes and silently rolled onto her back ignoring the mud that now covered her back. _Any idiot can tell that this guy is an innocent. He probably hates unnecessary death and destruction. I can't in good conscience kill him…but if I don't, Seiobo's probably gonna…. _She shook her head unable to finish the thought.

o—o—o—o

Sanzo stared after the wayward monkey and for a brief moment wondered if he should go after him. Then he remembered how much paperwork he had left and made the decision to go finish that instead…if such a thing were possible. _That stupid monkey never misses a meal. Sure as shit he'll be back just in time to annoy me about dinner_. Sanzo thought bitterly as he headed back inside the temple. Drying off, he settled down to tackle the mountain of paperwork on his desk. By the time he was through, he felt as if he had literally climbed a mountain. He went to rest his eyes and before he knew it, he was asleep.

o—o—o—o

Sighing, the young mutant opened her eyes and almost yelped in surprise as she found herself suddenly gazing into Goku's golden eyes. Only a moment ago, he was in the temple yard and now, here he was in front of her. The guy was covered head to toe in mud, twigs, and leaves, despite the rain. He crouched down next to her sniffing her as if he were trying to confirm whether or not she was the origin of some strange or new scent. _How could I have allowed him to sneak up on me like that? _She mentally chided herself for being so careless.

This close Goku's scent completely flooded her mutant senses. The young feline mutant realized now, it was unmistakably different from anything she'd ever smelled in her life…yet it was also familiar somehow. _This Goku kid definitely isn't a kami, youkai, or a human…mutant or otherwise. His scent doesn't have the "tags" of any of those races. It's obvious that he's sentient, but what is he? And how could I remember having smelled this scent before when I've never seen this kid till now?_ The teen shoved the thoughts aside deciding to ask Kye about them later.

The teen watched in wary silence as Goku sniffed once more before declaring triumphantly, "It's you! I found ya! I win!" The boy paused…confusion plain on his face before he asked, "Why do ya smell so funny?"

Not wanting to blow her cover the young assassin asked, "What do ya mean by 'funny'?" She silently cursed her soft accent, even as she spoke the words.

"Ya smell like a human an'…a tiger an' ummm…," the boy paused to gather his thoughts before he continued, "…an' me," he finished pointing at himself with a cheerful smile.

"Well I don't know why ya would think I smell like ya, but I smell human 'cuz that's what I am. As to why I smell like a tiger, I got two tigers I play with at home …so you're probably jus' smellin' them," the teen explained. As she waited for his response she quietly prayed that Goku wouldn't pry further.

She wasn't so lucky, because at that Goku's eyes instantly lit up and he asked excitedly, "Really? Where are they? Can I see 'm? Where do you live? Can I come over and see what your house is like? Oh an' why do ya sound so funny when ya talk? An…."

Closing her eyes the mutant teen took a few deep breaths and tried to still her own thoughts as Goku fired off one question after another in rapid succession. Where she came from and how she lived were among the ones she caught. However she only caught parts of what Goku was asking because he asked his questions far too fast for her to keep up. In fact, she had a feeling that her Chinese teacher would have trouble following this kid and she was born and raised in China. Professor X had found the woman in China Town five years ago and convinced her to teach a wild and rebellious mutant kid the Chinese language including how to read and write it. She and her sister Katriana had just been kicked out of the Gen-X school for defying the head mistress Emma Frost. The idea was to teach her to respect the authority of people who other than her mom, dad, or Hank through learning a foreign language. The foreign language had fascinated her from the start and she found herself actually _studying _a non survival subject for the first time in her life. Before she realized it she had applied herself not only to the learning of the Chinese language but the culture and mannerisms as well. Now she was grateful she had. Even though she still had a long way to go before she had the language or the culture completely down, the teen knew she was learning fast.

When he had finished, she opened her eyes and kindly said, "Ya sure got lots o' questions. I'm afraid I didn't catch much o' what ya jus' said cuz ya spoke too fast fer me ta follow. As to where I live… well, my home's 'bout a five hour hike from here. I'm…"

"Wha! That far?" Goku interjected slowing his speech down to a more normal speed. Even still, it took great effort for her to keep up with what he was saying. "I live jus' over there an' th' rain is gonna get really bad soon. Sanzo says that walkin' in it makes humans sick." He paused, appearing to think real hard for a moment before he exclaimed, "I know! Ya can stay with me an' Sanzo till th' rain passes. It'll prolly be gone soon," he exclaimed suddenly forgetting all about the tigers.

The mutant teen knew that the rain wouldn't let up till the morning at the earliest. She'd always had a bad feeling about staying overnight around that many people. Since before she could remember her parents had cautioned her not to stay overnight around normal humans if she could avoid it. The reason was that they tended to discover and try to kill people who were obvious mutants like herself. However, she didn't want to be rude and definitely didn't feel up to trying to explain how she was human but unable to get sick. So she tried to excuse herself by graciously saying, "Much as I'd love the company, I can't do that 'cuz we haven't even been properly introduced."

Not willing to give up, Goku said cheerfully, "That's no problem I can fix that, I'm Son Goku. What's your name?"

The teen sighed and stood up. Bowing slightly she smiled, "Pleased to meet you Goku my name's Logan Kirriah, but you can just call me Kang-li."

She smiled and patiently corrected him through several attempts until he got it right. "Kang-li?" he asked. The uncertainty in his eyes vanished as she nodded confirming that he had successfully pronounced her name.

"Yes, do ya like it?" Kirriah asked her keen eyes searching his for the truth of his answer. "My teacher said that she named me that because I refused to do anything she said when we met until she proved she had rightful authority over me. Even then, I was still pretty defiant."

"…Kang-li." Goku frowned slightly as he tested the name again. A wide grin brightened his face as he blurted out, "It suits you."

Kirriah shook her head and laughed in spite of herself as she waited while Goku repeated her name over and over till he was sure he had it memorized. She knew that one way or another Goku was going to get her to go home with him, so she decided to go along. _After all, the best way to find out about a person is to see how they live, right?_

After repeating the name several more times Goku giggled. A wide grin spread across his face as he proudly proclaimed, "I got it memorized now! You're Kang-li! So Kang-li, now that we know each other's names you can come home with me till the rain stops right?" Goku asked innocently, expectancy making his eyes shine like mini suns.

After several more minutes, Kirriah sighed in agreement and allowed Goku to take her by the hand and lead her towards the temple. As they walked, she wondered if Goku had this same disarming effect on everyone he came in contact with.

As they left, neither of them noticed a pair or bright blue feline eyes carefully watching them from the trees.

o—o—o—o

Kye had been feigning sleep when Sai and Kirri left the den. Something about her little sister's mission bothered her a lot. As a result, she hadn't slept as well as she usually did. She had no doubt Kirri could handle herself in a fight, after all she was a survivor had been groomed into a warrior by the very best. Kye had secretly watched Kirri on every watch she did for the town during that first month. Her main reason was to assure herself that Kirri's training wouldn't slip when faced with the very different kind of enemy she now faced in this strange world. It didn't. Although she had tried to keep it secret, Kye had noticed that Kirri had even stepped up her training exercises in both unarmed combat as well as with her katana pushing herself to a whole new level of skill, even adding new exercises and techniques. She also knew that Sai had a tendency to be lazy when it rained so she waited for a few minutes before following them at a safe distance.

When the link to Kirri went dead silent, Kye nearly panicked. Nothing like this had ever happened before and she didn't like the very sudden quiet.

When she finally ran into Sai, she was so worked up that she almost attacked him. _"What's going on here, Sai? I can't hear her anymore!"_ She hated how out of hand things had become and her agitation was clear in her voice but she was unable to do anything about either problem.

"_Don't worry Kye."_ Sai's calm voice came through clearly causing her to sigh with relief. _"Kirri's fine. It's ok. This is something she apparently feels she has to do alone. So no interfering, got it?"_

"_Fine. But I'm still gonna watch her to make sure that she stays ok."_

With that Kye edged close enough to the tree line so she could see Kirri without being seen or heard herself. She smiled at the sight of the hyper boy asking Kirri a lot of questions. She knew his questions were in Chinese because Kirri was responding to him in the same language and the only language that Kirri picked up in the last three years was Chinese. Apparently without the link she couldn't understand what was being said. In that case, she'd have to trust Kirri's instincts and use her natural born senses for understanding the situation.

o—o—o—o

Loud curses and toppling objects woke Sanzo from the nap he hadn't realized he was taking. Suddenly, a young _female_ voice with a thick Japanese accent rang out, "HELL NO, YA CAN'T TAKE MY KATANA, YA BUNCH 'O DUMB ASSED PRIESTS!" With an irritated sigh, the worldly priest got up from his desk deciding to find out and put a stop to the cause of all this annoying...

"_Somebody help me! Please, I didn't _do_ anything!"_

Sanzo narrowed his eyes with irritation. _Not another one._ As if he were being drawn there by a magnet, Sanzo bolted from his office and rushed through the halls to the room of the temple dedicated to Kanzeon Bosatsu. _This is _not _happening again._

As he reached the door, Sanzo stopped and schooled his features before entering the room as he tried to decide who he was going to kill first.

"_Help me please! I don't wanna hurt anyone. Somebody…_anybody_ please help me!"_

o—o—o—o

Kirriah crouched on top of a tall statue of Kanzeon Bosatsu and glared down defiantly at the ring of priests surrounding her as she tried to decide how to best handle her current situation. She really didn't want to hurt any of them, but at this rate she wouldn't have any choice. _These priests are persistent. Strange though, they seem to be either unable or unwilling to get to me up here. But I can't stay up here forever. I wonder if Goku is doing all right,_ the teen thought as she spared a glance in Goku's direction. As she did, Kirriah noticed that he seemed to be having the time of his life. She giggled in spite of herself at the sight of Goku as he leapt strait up in the air to avoid an acolyte who had leapt to catch him. His would-be captor ended up sliding across the floor head-first into a candle stand instead of acquiring his prey. He then briefly landed a half step to the side and jumped out of the reach of another priest at the last second, laughing the entire time as if the whole thing was just a game.

"We have you surrounded. Come down and hand over your weapon right now! This is your last warning," gasped a priest as he glared up at her.

Kirriah's face flushed with barely contained rage as she yelled back at him, her Japanese accent thick with frustration. "HELL NO, YA CAN'T TAKE MY KATANA, YA BUNCH 'O DUMB ASSED PRIESTS!" Lowering her voice she growled, "I ain't comin' down…ya can't have it …so just…deal with it! It was the last thing my Otousan and Okaasan gave me before… before…" Kirriah trailed off as she buried her face in her knees to hide her tears as she cried softly. She was aware of but ignored the ring of priests who continued to curse and try to get her to come down.

Suddenly, all the sounds around Kirriah ceased and a strange presence seemed to fill the room accompanied by a new but familiar scent. At this point though, the young mutant was beyond caring. She simply hugged her knees closer and cried silently into them.

o—o—o—o

As Sanzo entered the room of the temple dedicated to the Merciful Goddess, everyone instantly froze…especially Goku. One look at his "Sun's" face told the muddy monkey that Sanzo was not pleased and that he was in _very_ big trouble. Goku watched in shocked silence as Sanzo walked past him without even acknowledging his presence. Instead he headed straight for the statue his new friend had climbed up to get away from the group of priests that had decided to chase after her instead of him. While he didn't know what an "okaasan" or "otousan" were, Goku figured that they must be something very important –at least to Kirri. She refused to give up that "katana" she said they gave her for anything.

Worried for Kirri, Goku jerked free of the acolyte that had caught him just before Sanzo had entered the room. Cautiously he crept over to where his Sun now stood. He narrowly dodged of the way of the rush of priests scrambling to get away from Sanzo. The monkey stopped at what he thought was just out of the reach of Sanzo's fan and stood quietly.

o—o—o—o

It wouldn't have been hard for Sanzo to find the owner of the voice that had waken him even if there hadn't been a ring of cursing priests to mark the spot for him. Judging by the curses and threats from the ring of priests, if he hadn't seen Goku when he'd first entered the room, Sanzo would have sworn that it was the monkey they had cornered up on top of the Merciful Goddess' head. No one else the priest had ever met had gotten such a rise out of those idiots, including Gojyo.

"_Somebody…anybody please help me! I didn't do anything wrong. Help me please! I don't wanna hurt anyone!"_

Deciding to deal with the muddy monkey later, Sanzo headed straight for the statue of the Merciful Goddess and stopped a few steps away from the group of priests. He cleared his throat once and glared at the priests surrounding the statue. Within seconds they were on the other side of the room. Sanzo was aware that Goku was now standing near by but chose to ignore him for the moment.

"_Somebody…anybody please help me! I didn't do anything wrong. Help me please! I don't wanna hurt anyone!"_

Sanzo took a step closer as he took in the scene before him. On top of Kanzeon Bosastu's head was the huddled mass of a young human girl, dressed in solid black with a katana strapped to her back. The sight of her reminded him of how his new shadow looked when he had found him. Despite the presence of her weapon she appeared to be helplessly trapped and very desperate for a way out.

_I can't believe I'm about to do this…_again_. You'd think I'd learned my lesson after getting stuck with that stupid monkey._ Sanzo thought as he remembered all the trouble Goku's mischief had caused him to date.

"_Somebody…anybody please help me! I didn't do anything wrong. Help me please! I don't wanna hurt anyone!"_

"….hey," Sanzo said his usual bored, irritated voice carrying slightly more irritation that usual…even taking into account the rain. "I'm here now so just shut the hell up already."

o—o—o—o

"….hey," an irritated authoritative voice spoke to Kirriah from the base of the statue. "I'm here now so just shut the hell up already."

"Huh?" Kirriah replied as she reflexively snapped up her head to see who the speaker was…half expecting to be met by her father's piercing gaze. Instead of the steal blue eyes of her father however, the teen found her gaze locked in place by the violet eyes of the angry priest from the temple yard. Kirriah swallowed hard and silently prayed to whoever may be listening, that this man wouldn't kill her. She took a deep, calming breath before continuing semi-respectfully, "Mister, I'm not sure what you're talkin' 'bout. I wasn't _callin' _anyone. W-who are you?"

The priest closed his eyes for a moment before he answered a long and honorable official sounding title of some sort. The way he spoke it though was as if it were just one big annoyance rather than a high honor. Kirriah warily stared at him for a moment before asking hopefully, "Don't suppose that there's anythin' shorter I can call ya by is there, mister? That's a bit of a mouthful."

If it were possible, the priest seemed to become even irritated. _Now what?_ Kirriah thought as she curled in on herself as tightly as she could and waited for his response. _Wait. He's a priest right? ...He won't kill me…I hope,_ she thought as she glanced at Goku. The teen knew he had said something but wasn't sure exactly what it was that he said.

o—o—o—o

As Goku watched Kirri he couldn't help wonder if this was what he looked like when Sanzo had found him in that stone cage. She looked ready to try to escape through the roof. He wanted to say something to help. For the life of him he couldn't think of what to say that would comfort his friend, so he stood there quietly and waited. Her strange accent had gotten really strong as she talked to the other priests and while it was much softer now, it still distracted him from what was being said. He knew that she had asked who Sanzo was. Sanzo had responded with his full title. The monkey didn't blame her for getting a little nervous at that. Sanzo was intimidating enough without adding in his full title.

Kirri took a deep calming breath and her accent softened greatly as she asked, "Don't suppose there's anythin' simpler I can call ya by is there, mister? That's a bit of a mouthful."

Before he knew it he blurted out grinning, "Jus' call 'im 'Sanzo'. I do."

She looked at him weird before returning her attention back to Sanzo. For a moment he wasn't exactly sure why. That's when he found out that he wasn't quite far enough away from Sanzo to avoid that fan.

"Oww! What was that for?" he cried as he glared at Sanzo, who had already turned to face Kirri. While Goku couldn't see his face, he knew by his posture that Sanzo had relaxed…at least a little.

o—o—o—o

Sanzo watched in growing irritation as instead of relaxing or coming down the young foreign girl seemed to shrink further in on herself. She was acting more like a cornered tiger cub than a teenage girl who found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. He needed to get her to a place where he could get some answers, but to do that he first had to get her to come down.

The priest decided that since she was acting like an animal he would treat the situation as if she were one. It had worked with Goku after all. Sanzo knew that as long as she perceived him as a threat the girl would never come down. So, in a firm but soothing voice he said, "'Sanzo' is fine. No one's going to hurt you. Come down and we'll go somewhere less intimidating and discuss exactly who you are and how you came to be here."

The teen looked at him dubiously as she answered softly, "T-that's f-fine with me, but I ain't giving up my katana no matter what ya do." I-It's th' last thing my parents ever gave me…or ever will give me."

"Hunh," he responded in a bored voice. "Keep it. Hell if I care."

Sanzo ignored the shocked gasps of the priests from across the room. He knew that they were all too afraid of him to challenge anything that he said or did. Instead, he watched the girl who had called to him intently as she moved to obey his order. Without a word, she slowly got up and jumped from the statue's head to land almost soundlessly on the floor behind the statue in one clean motion. While the display of athleticism impressed him, his face showed nothing. Several minutes went by, but the girl didn't surface from behind the statue. _This is so stupid,_ Sanzo thought as he moved to go to her.

o—o—o—o

Kirriah removed her weapon from her back, taking great care to keep it sheathed, crouched down with it balanced on her lap behind the statue and tried to think. For the hundredth time since she'd been in this strange world she read the words that were on the side faced up, "Always with honor". That Sanzo guy seemed like he genuinely wanted to help her get out of this mess with her skin in tact, but that could have been just a trick to get her to come down. She didn't know what she should do. She was definitely cornered with the only way out blocked without going through half a dozen or more priests. She was sure that Sanzo was a normal human and therefore it would be dangerous to trust him. However, Goku wasn't even human and yet he trusted this man so completely. Before she could decide on a course of action, she heard footsteps and smelled gun oil mixed with cigarette smoke. Looking up, she was shocked to see Sanzo looking down at her with an agitated expression on his face. Violet eyes narrowed and it felt as he was peering into her very soul.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a bored voice. He spoke slowly as if he wanted to make sure that she understood what he was saying properly. "Get up and come with me."

Kirriah still wasn't ready to blindly follow this man anywhere. She swallowed hard and answered softly as she blinked her eyes innocently, "Where?"

"To talk." Sanzo replied as he held out his hand to help her up.

Kirriah dubiously looked at the hand then back to the man extending it once more. Closing her eyes the young mutant followed her instincts. Slowly she reached out and took it half expecting to be yanked up and her sword forcefully taken from her. Her eyes flashed open in shocked surprise as she realized that Sanzo was gently raising her to her feet. Once she was back on her feet he let go of her hand. The teen stared down at the handle of her katana and gripped it tightly. Kirriah was still uncertain wither she should trust this human or not, "Umm…Sanzo?" Kirriah paused as she looked up at the priest with her heart in her eyes.

"What." The priest replied in detached voice.

"If I did give you my katana would you keep it safe and return it to me when I ask?"

Sanzo's expression seemed soften as if he knew that it had taken a lot of courage for her to ask such a thing. "I already said I didn't care if you kept it. If you chose to hand it over temporarily why would I try to keep it?" He held her in another measuring gaze before he continued. "Of course I would keep it safe and yes I'll give it back to you whenever you ask."

"Then in that case…" With that said, Kirriah firmly gripped the hilt with one hand and with the open palm of her other hand gently guided the blade upward until the katana was level, keeping her eyes fixed on the katana as she did. After doing so, she opened the hand gripping the hilt and raised the precious weapon up towards Sanzo. Kirriah felt hot tears begin to form in her eyes as she looked up at Sanzo and ducked her head down and closing her eyes quickly in effort to hide them. Taking a deep breath she continued slowly and respectfully, I entrust it to you."

o—o—o—o

"…I entrust it to you."

Sanzo studied the girl as she surrendered up the very weapon she had only moments ago sworn she'd never relinquish no matter what he did to her. The tears pooling in the corners of her eyes spoke volumes as to the decision's difficulty for her. As she held up the sheathed blade Sanzo noticed strange symbols elegantly grafted in gold onto both sides of the black sheath and that a tiger preparing to spring at its prey made of pure ivory formed the hilt. Sanzo was shocked and wondered how she came to possess such a fine weapon but decided not to ask her about it until he'd gotten her safely out of there and to his rooms where he could question her in relative peace.

"Hn. I _said_ you could keep it," he stated blandly as he continued to scrutinize the girl. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a pair of gold eyes watching him intently from around the statue. However, he gave no indication he was aware of them or their owner.

At this the girl's head shot up her teal eyes meeting his as if she were searching for some answer in them. "I know. Please...just take it for now." She paused as if weighing his intentions before continuing. "You know, as a sign of my cooperation," the teen finished softly. Keeping the katana raised she bowed respectfully before him as she waited for him to take it.

"Fine," Sanzo replied as he carefully took the katana from the girl with one hand and gently placed the other on her shoulder, which he now noticed was covered in mud. She flinched slightly at his touch but made no move to attack of run. _Great. That's all I need…another muddy animal to deal with today._ He gave her a gentle nudge towards the exit. "Now let's go." Sanzo sighed as he led this strange girl towards the only exit to the room, tuning out the protests made by the other priests.

They were a few feet away from the statue before Sanzo realized that he was short one animal. He paused and called over his shoulder, "Hey stupid monkey that includes you too unless you'd rather stay with them." Sanzo nodded at the group of priest glaring at him from across the room. "I don't give a shit either way but if you stay here you'll probably miss dinner."

"Wha!" Goku cried out as he sprang to life and Sanzo's side with amazing speed. "But Sanzo I can't miss dinner! I'll starve to death!"

He continued to whine for food all the way to the wing he shared with Sanzo as if he was sure no one had heard him the first time or his point wasn't clear.

Once they were in the hallway of his rooms with the wooden doors closed behind them, Sanzo pulled out his fan and without even looking at the boy sharply smacked him upside the head. Ignoring Goku's reaction he said dryly, "Stupid monkey you can't die from missing one or two meals." Pointing down the hall towards his bathing room he continued coldly, "Now go wash up and get changed. Hurry up or you really _will_ miss dinner."

Sanzo glared down impassively at the muddy monkey, who stared at him in shocked silence for several seconds as his words sunk in before giving a small cry and disappearing around the corner towards the bathing room.

As he watched the boy's retreat, Sanzo felt a very small twinge of guilt, not that he'd ever let the monkey know. He knew that he was being a little too harsh on the monkey, but all that paperwork had left him in a particularly dark mood.

Pushing those thoughts aside for later contemplation, Sanzo redirected his thoughts back to the young teen he had for some reason, that now eluded him taken charge of. She was just standing there staring at nothing and trembling. There was no way he'd get his answers if the girl lost her wits. Sighing the worldly priest tried something he didn't do very often. Kindness.

"So kid," he began as gently as he could. He even managed a weak smile. "You got a name?"

The girl simply nodded an affirmation.

_This isn't going to be easy. But then, what the hell is? _Some of his irritation slipped into his voice as he said, "Well, what is it?"

"Logan Kirriah," she replied in a voice just barely above a whisper. After a moment's pause she added in a stronger voice, "I have been going by Kang-li since I came to this area. So just use that."

"Fine. Kang-li, you owe me some explanations and I intend to get them _tonight_."


End file.
